stars hide your fires ☆

Spending the day with Beth doing whatever she had planned would be a much needed change; it felt like years since she’d seen Beth’s smiling face, held her hand, felt her lips upon her skin. The mere thought of being in her presence was relieving in itself; she’d already closed up the Cat as much as she could, leaving Patrick and the others to take care of it for the afternoon while she was away. 

Mina slid into the back of the car, leaning across to immediately plant a kiss on Beth’s cheek. “You’ve been so cryptic,” she leaned back, one brow raised, and ankles crossed, “I have to admit, it’s making me a little nervous. You’re not going to tell me you’re moving to Antarctica without me, are you?” She was joking, of course– and that was evident in her tone, aside from the terse edge behind her words– but she appreciated it most when Beth was straightforward, and this was not straightforward. 

“A long time ago, back in Scotland, I grew up with a man named Banquo. My family was very wealthy and we... weren’t very sociable. My mother wasn’t fit for company most of the time. I was close with my father, as close as anyone could be with their father. Banquo was my only friend. I wasn’t very good with people, you see. Banquo and I spent every waking moment together. I loved him very much.”

“Recently Banquo had an accident. A car accident. He’s in a coma. His wife died a few year back and now their daughter was left... alone. I was told about this just a little while back. I’ve been in negotiations with the nuns at her school for a bit. And I’ve taken her in.” Beth gazed out the window, doing everything she could to avoid Mina’s glance. To say she was nervous would be an understatement. Taking in a child was no small thing, and she didn’t consult Mina about it. To be fair, they weren’t official yet.  

FULL NAME: Beth Cawdor

AGE: Twenty Eight

OCCUPATION: Lawyer and politician

AFFILIATION: Neutral

TIME RESIDED IN VERONA: Several months

Sexuality: Bisexual/Biromantic

FACECLAIM: Holliday Grainger

CHARACTER: Macbeth (Macbeth)

STATUS: Taken

Beth was born in Scotland to a lesser noble family of Cawdor. As an only child, she became accustomed to certain things. Her father was a well known attorney and her mother a “socialite” who frequented parties and bars whenever she could. Her father instilled a great love of politics in her at a young age; hoping she would follow in his footsteps and become an attorney as well.

Along with her cousins, she was taught the ways of etiquette and woman’s studies. However outdated the lessons were, she would go on to credit them for her ability to deal with people for the rest of her life. She learned that a woman’s biggest weapon is her courtesy, and that women were nearly always the brains that men couldn’t have. She blamed her mother for not being smart enough to know what her father was doing and put an end to it before he landed himself in prison.

When she was 10, her father lost their entire fortune in one go. He had invested in a number of illegal ventures which got him thrown in prison. Beth was absolutely devastated. Her mother wasn’t equipped to be any sort of parent and her extended family was all too busy with their own lives. The loss of her husband combined with a long history of drug abuse sent her over the edge and all too soon, just a year after her husband’s prison sentence, her mother died.

Beth had always known that her mother was never happy where she was. That side of the family had always been wealthier, and expected a certain standard of living. Her mother hadn’t ever been happy, and it was hard on Beth. She blamed herself for it, spiraling into a deep pit of depression that no amount of drugs could pull her out of. Eventually, her father’s family took pity on her and paid for her to attend a prestigious boarding school in Italy. Beth knew it was partly to get her out of the family spotlight. Their branch had done enough for the family name for a lifetime.

Moving to Italy was one of the best things that ever happened to her. It was Rome first, then Venice. Her last couple years of schooling was chronicled by offers of jobs and higher education. Beth had managed to follow in her father’s footsteps and exceed academically. Tragedy struck once more, and as Beth was applying for law schools back home, near her newly released father, she heard of his murder. It sat wrong with her—-she knew deep in her heart that their family didn’t want him to spoil the name any further.

One last trip to Scotland for her father’s funeral told her that she wouldn’t be welcome there any longer. She decided to make her Italian citizenship permanent, and settle there. Her family kept her more than comfortable, but very clearly wanted her out of the spotlight. As long as she remained in Italy, she need not work–she could live off of the family money. That wasn’t good enough–she wanted to make her father proud. She wanted to make her family pay.

Law school was easy. Making a name for herself was a bit harder. She decided to move to a city that very obviously needed lawyers, and that ended up being Verona. Living in Verona, it’s hard not to fall into the backwards business, which is the opposite of what she wanted to do, but sometimes to get on top you need to bend the rules.

                                     ♞♞♞

Beth wants to be a politician. Honestly, it’s become less about doing good and more about power. She’s always been a good talker—-people tell her that she’s got a silver tongue. Her goal right now is to create a successful firm. She owns a large townhouse, purchased for her by her family. If she’s honest, she’s not sure how safe she is, even now–a few years removed from her father’s death. How far will her family want to go? And will she be caught up in the war between the two families? Safety is important to her.

Beth sees herself as someone who will be incredibly successful one day, and she’s not afraid of it. Success scares people sometimes–people are either born to deal with it or they are born to be led by those who are. Beth knows that she was born to deal with it, and she’s ready to be at the top. Most people see her as someone to be feared. Beth’s few cases in Verona have all ended with her winning. Now, that obviously cannot last forever but who’s to say when it will end? She’s not a bad person, but she’s past being a fair person. Being fair doesn’t get you anywhere in life.